[color:"purple"]Oahu – April 2005
A Journal by Deb

Travel mates were Deb & Steve and Joe & Dena from Roseburg, Oregon.

Day 1
Steve and Deb left the ‘burg around 9:30 am. With one coffee stop and a potty break we arrived in Corvallis around 11:15 am. We met Tylor, Didi & Emmalee (our son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter) and Stephen & Rachel (our son and his fiancé) at Shari’s for lunch. After lunch we headed to Portland where we did a little shopping at the Lloyd Center. That evening we went to dinner with Scott & Lori (our son-in-law and daughter) at Romano’s Macaroni Grill in Downtown Portland. I had the Lobster Ravioli (Lobster-filled tarragon pasta topped with shrimp, asparagus, tomatoes and lemon butter.) It was awesome!

Day 2
Joe & Dena arrived to pick us up at 7:00 a.m. Joe’s sister was nice enough to chauffer us so we wouldn’t need to pay for long term parking at the airport. Check in went very smooth. We had just enough time to have some really dry Breakfast Biscuits from Wendy’s… yuck… and the boys had a quick shot of Tequila… before boarding our plane to paradise!

View of Portland from the airplane…


We arrived in Honolulu on time. View of Honolulu from the airplane…


As we exited the plan we were met by a girl holding a sign for “Deb and Dena”. The boys had surprised us with a Lei & Limo Greeting! Our limo was a stretch Ford Excursion Limo! Woo Hoo! It was huge! Livin’ large!







We arrived at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, checked in, headed straight to the bar! The girls each had a Lava Flow and the boys each had a Tropical Itch. Yummy!


That afternoon we did a lot of walking around town.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0331.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0278.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0295.jpg[/img]

We also stopped at Planet Hollywood for Pu Pu’s and Drinks!

Day 3
Steve woke early today. Around 6:00 am he decided to go for a walk. While he was gone I watched the morning news and drank Kona coffee. We packed a little bag and headed across the street to Waikiki Beach… by 8:30 am we had our butts parked and the sand gravity had set in!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/WikikiBeach2Haw05.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/WakikibeachHaw05.jpg[/img]

When the The Beach Bar opened at 10:30 we had Bloody Mary’s. Joe & Dena had made sandwiches for us all with stuff we had purchased yesterday at the Food Pantry, so we ate lunch around 12:30 pm. After lunch we moved to the pool and shots of Patron Silver. We laid by the pool until about 3:00 pm. And then decided to clean up for dinner. We made a stop at the International Marketplace and Steve bought me a gorgeous new bracelet (It says “Kuuipo”… which means “Sweetheart”.) and Steve, Deb and Joe all got airbrushed tattoo’s! Steve and Joe got armbands and Deb got a gecko ankle band.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0280.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0287.jpg[/img]

That evening we caught a cab to Pier 8 and went to Hooter’s for dinner.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/Pier8HoostersnightHaw05.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0282.jpg[/img]

Day 4
Today is another day on the beach!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0396.jpg[/img]

Steve, Joe & Dena left early for a walk and a quick trip to the gym. We got set up on the beach by 9:00 am. Joe & Dena had brought a collapsible cooler, so Joe & Dena made sandwiches for lunch and we took our own beverages. Dinner tonight was at Duke’s. The boys had a Cajun Style Ahi and the girls had Teriyaki Steak. Great food, great service, great place! The total for all four of us with drinks was only $109! What a great day!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0292.jpg[/img]

Day 5
Today is our “Rental Car” day. We ended up with an economy car from Avis for $33. We got a brand new Ford Focus with just 16 miles on it! We went to the Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium. If you are looking for souvenirs to take home to family and friends… this is the place to go! T-Shirts are 10 for $20 plus much, much more! We probably spent 2 hours there. After the Swap Meet we were really hot, hungry & thirsty… so we made our way to the Hard Rock Café. The food was great! Dena had a huge Cobb Salad, Deb had the Chicken & Beef Fajita, and the boys had giant Bacon Cheeseburgers.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0296.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0297.jpg[/img]

After lunch we decided to head over to Hanauma Bay. BAD IDEA! It took us forever to get there, $1 to park, $5 per person to get in. Then you have to wait around to view a 10 minute video before finally hiking down to the bay. Then Deb had a small melt-down. By the time we finally got down there, we weren’t in the mood anymore. So… we paid $4 to ride the trolley back up the hill and left. Dinner tonight?!?! The Cheesecake Factory!!! They DO NOT accept reservations, so it was an hour wait… but so worth the wait! Dena had the Chicken Marsala (Chicken Breast Gently Sautéed with Fresh Mushrooms in a
Rich Marsala Wine Sauce. Served over Bow Tie Pasta.), Joe had the Fettuccini with Chicken & Sun-dried Tomatoes with a Garlic-Parmesan Cream Sauce, Steve had the Chicken Caesar Salad and Deb had the Tomato, Basil, Cheese & Artichoke Pizza. For dessert… Dena had the Adam’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake and Deb had the Dulce De Leche Caramel Cheesecake. Yummy! Total for dinner, drinks & dessert for 4 people was $98!! Very, very good!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0304.jpg[/img]

Day 6
Just another day in paradise! We were on the beach catching some rays by 9:00 am! We enjoyed watching this guy and his dog surfing. We bellied up to the bar for Bloody Marys.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DebSteveatbeachbar3Haw05.jpg[/img]

We laid on the beach until about 1:00 pm. And then made our way to the pool until about 2:30 pm. Life is rough! After cleaning up, we rode the trolley to Hilo Hattie’s for some shopping. Once back we walked down to Moose McGillycuddy’s for dinner. This is a huge THUMBS UP!! They have Happy Hour from 4 to 8 with ½ price drinks! The guys had Fish & Chips (Mahi Mahi hand dipped in beer batter & deep-fried, served with fries & their own tartar sauce.) and the girls shared their The Mega Mex ~ Mexican Dinner for Two (Hawaiian chicken tacos, shredded beef enchiladas, mini chimichangas, chicken fajitas, Spanish rice, refried beans, chips & salsa.) With food and 2 or 3 or 4 rounds of drinks… the bill was about $75!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0329.jpg[/img]

On our way back to the Hotel we stopped for the boys to get Aqua Massages. They both loved their ($10) 5 minute massage!

Day 7
Sadly… it is our last full day in paradise. Steve, Joe & Dena were up and gone by 6:00 am for their walk… Deb slept in! We decided to opt for pool time this morning. We laid by the pool and sipped Bloody Marys until noon. Steve had wanted to do Diamond Head, so while he did the Diamond Head hike we all went shopping.
Pictures from Steve’s Diamond Head climb…
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0374.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0358.jpg[/img]

We met up for a late lunch at the The Beach Bar and then decided that a little nap time was in order!
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0308.jpg[/img]

Dinner tonight? Duke’s again! Yummy! The rest of the evening was spent packing for our trip home.

Day 8
Up and at ‘em early! We wanted to get in a little bit of beach time before heading back to reality. We were on the beach and soaking up the sun by 7:30 am. Our Limo picked us up around 11:00 am. Our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave Honolulu until 1:15 pm, but it turned out to be a good thing that we left the hotel at 11:00 am! We arrived at the airport around 11:40 am… send your “Checked Luggage” through the Agricultural Inspection and then pick it up… then you do your computer check in, which will print your boarding passes… then you actually check your “Checked Luggage”… then you stand in a VERY LONG line to do the Security Check of you and your “Carry On Luggage”… then you walk FOREVER… then you wait in another VERY LONG line to put your “Carry On Luggage” through an Agriculture Inspection… then you walk FOREVER again! We finally made it to our boarding gate with about 5 minutes to spare! Whew! We arrived back in Portland at 9:40 pm. Back to reality.[/color]

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />[color:"green"]Thumbs Up –[/color] Sand Gravity, the awesome weather, relaxing, hanging out with friends, Kona coffee, Duke’s, Moose McGillycuddy’s (and their $5.00 drinks less ½ price!), Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, The Cheesecake Factory, LeiGreeting.com, the Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium, grocery shopping at the Food Pantry.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Deb541/Oahu/DSCN0392.jpg[/img]

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif" alt="" />[color:"red"]Thumbs Down –[/color] Wendy’s Breakfast Biscuits, driving on Oahu, Hanauma Bay, shopping certain kiosks at the International Marketplace (but that’s another story!), grocery shopping at the ABC Store, $7.50 drinks everywhere you go, the set up of the Honolulu Airport.